What does −1.5 maps mean in CS2?

The team must win the series 2–0. A team that wins 60% of its maps does that 36% of the time, so fair odds are about 2.78.

Is a BO1 riskier to bet on than a BO3?

Yes for favourites. A team with a 60% chance per map wins a BO1 60% of the time and a BO3 64.8% of the time. One bad map ends a BO1.

What is the over/under 21.5 rounds line?

The total rounds on one map. Under MR12 a map ends when a team reaches 13, so 13–9 or closer goes over, and any overtime goes over.

When is the next CS2 Major?

The PGL Major Singapore runs from 25 November to 13 December 2026 with 32 teams and $1,250,000 in prize money. See our CS2 Major betting page.

Who won the last CS2 Major?

Falcons won the IEM Cologne Major 2026, beating FURIA 3–0 in the grand final.

Can I bet with CS2 skins?

Skin betting sites take in-game items as stakes. Many are unlicensed and skip age checks. Read our skin betting guide before you use one.

How old do I need to be to bet on CS2?

18 at least, and older in some countries. Licensed bookmakers verify age and identity before paying out.

Esports · Counter-Strike 2

CS2 betting: markets, map maths and the best sites for Counter-Strike 2

CS2 betting means picking a series, a single map or an event inside a map, such as the pistol round or the total rounds. Most tier-1 playoff matches are best of three, and every map is played to 13 rounds under MR12.

Below: what each CS2 market pays for, how a per-map chance turns into a series price, why the map veto can flip a favourite, and the bookmakers ranked for CS2 right now. Odds on this page are examples.

MR12: first to 13 rounds Two Majors a year Example odds, 18+

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Example odds

Format: MR12 24 rounds, first to 13
Released: 27 Sep 2023 replaced CS:GO
Last Major: Falcons IEM Cologne, June 2026
Next Major: 25 Nov 2026 PGL Singapore
Average margin: 5.4% match winner, example

Cologne result: ESL FACEIT Group and players.com.ua. Singapore dates: PGL announcement via esports.net. Margin from the example odds on this page.

Short answer

How does CS2 betting work?

You bet on a series, one map or events inside a map. A team that wins 60% of its maps wins a best-of-three 64.8% of the time, so the series price on a favourite is shorter than its map price. The example match winner market here costs 5.4% on average.

60% per map 64.8% BO3 series chance

Same team, BO1 60% one map, more upsets

Rounds per map 24 regulation, MR12

Match winner 5.4% average margin, example

CS2 betting in six figures

64.8%
A 60% map favourite wins a BO3 64.8% of the time when maps are independent.
36%
The same team wins 2–0, the result a −1.5 maps bet needs, only 36% of the time.
48%
A BO3 between those teams goes to a third map 48% of the time, the line behind over 2.5 maps.
13
Rounds needed to win a map under MR12; a 12–12 score goes to overtime.
3–0
Falcons beat FURIA 3–0 in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 grand final, every map 13–8.
5.4%
Average margin on the example match winner market across five ranked bookmakers.

How it works

From a CS2 match to a bet slip in four steps

Check the format

BO1, BO3 or BO5. Swiss and group stages often use BO1 and BO3; playoffs BO3; Major grand finals BO5.
Pick a market

Match winner prices the series. Map handicap and total maps price how close it is. Round markets price a single map.
Turn odds into a chance

1 ÷ odds is the implied chance. Compare it with your own estimate per map, then per series.
Compare prices

Margins differ by bookmaker and by market. Take the best price and set a limit before you start.

Markets Example odds

CS2 betting markets explained

Every common CS2 market, what it pays for and what it costs. Example odds for Vitality vs Falcons at one bookmaker.

Match winner is the cheapest CS2 market to bet. The further you go from the series result, toward exact scores and single rounds, the more of each stake the margin takes.

Market	You bet on	Example odds	Margin	What it means
Match winner	Who wins the series. In a BO3, the first team to two maps.	1.66 / 2.24	4.7%	the lowest margin of the CS2 markets in this example.
Map handicap	Vitality −1.5 maps must win 2–0. Falcons +1.5 win if they take at least one map.	2.70 / 1.42	6.9%	turns a short favourite into a longer price.
Total maps	Over 2.5 wins if the series goes to a third map; under if it ends 2–0 either way.	2.02 / 1.74	6.5%	a bet on how close the series is, not on who wins.
Map 1 winner	Who wins the first map only. Map 1 is one team's pick from the veto.	1.62 / 2.25	5.8%	map pool strength counts more than overall form.
Total rounds, map 1	Over or under 21.5 rounds. A map ends at 13 rounds unless it goes to overtime.	1.85 / 1.87	7.0%	13–9 or closer goes over; any overtime goes over.
Round handicap, map 1	Vitality −3.5 rounds must win the map by four or more.	2.02 / 1.74	6.5%	sizes the gap on one map.
Pistol round	Winner of round 1 or 13, the two rounds played with pistols only.	1.80 / 1.90	7.6%	close to a coin flip, priced with a higher margin.
Correct score	The exact series result: 2–0, 2–1, 1–2 or 0–2.	2.75 / 3.50 / 4.40 / 4.50	9.0%	four outcomes, the highest margin in this example.
Player kills	Over or under a kill line for one player on one map.	[varies]	[varies]	lines depend on role; riflers get higher lines than support players.

Example odds, not live. CS2 format and map pool: Liquipedia, Counter-Strike 2.

BO1 vs BO3 vs BO5

Series length changes how often the favourite wins

The same two teams in three formats, with the favourite winning 60% of maps.

BO1

One map, used in Swiss rounds and some group stages. The map comes out of the veto.

Favourite at 60% per map	60.0%
Fair odds	1.67
Upset chance	40.0%

So what: short-priced favourites lose most often here.

BO3

First to two maps. Each team picks one map; the third is the decider.

Favourite at 60% per map	64.8%
Fair odds	1.54
Upset chance	35.2%

So what: the standard playoff format, with the most markets.

BO5

First to three maps, used for Major grand finals.

Favourite at 60% per map	68.3%
Fair odds	1.47
Upset chance	31.7%

So what: the stronger team wins most often; underdog value is rarer.

Maps treated as independent with the same chance. Formats: Liquipedia, Majors.

Series maths

From a per-map chance to a series chance

If every map is independent, a BO3 win chance is p² × (3 − 2p). Use the calculator to try your own number.

BO3 = p² × (3 − 2p)

BO5 = p³ × (10 − 15p + 6p²)

p = 0.60: 0.36 × 1.8 = 0.648

2–0 (−1.5 maps) = p² = 0.36

Per map	BO1	BO3	BO5	Fair odds BO3	BO3 vs BO1
50%	50.0%	50.0%	50.0%	2.00	±0.0 pp
55%	55.0%	57.5%	59.3%	1.74	+2.5 pp
60%	60.0%	64.8%	68.3%	1.54	+4.8 pp
65%	65.0%	71.8%	76.5%	1.39	+6.8 pp
70%	70.0%	78.4%	83.7%	1.28	+8.4 pp
75%	75.0%	84.4%	89.6%	1.19	+9.4 pp
80%	80.0%	89.6%	94.2%	1.12	+9.6 pp

Series calculator

From a per-map chance to a series chance and fair odds.

Chance to win one map 60% Bookmaker margin 5.0%

BO1 60.0%

BO3 64.8%

BO5 68.3%

Fair odds BO1 1.67

Fair odds BO3 1.54

With margin BO3 1.47

A team that wins 60% of maps wins a best-of-three 64.8% of the time and a best-of-five 68.3%. The BO3 adds 4.8 points over a BO1. With a 5.0% margin a bookmaker would offer about 1.47 on the BO3. Maps are treated as independent.

Pure maths: maps treated as independent with the same chance p. Real series break this through the veto and momentum.

Map veto Example data

Why a 55% team can be the underdog after the veto

A team's overall map record covers its whole pool. The veto decides which three maps are played, and that can flip the series price.

Map	Picked by	Win chance
Map 1	Team A	62%
Map 2	Team B	38%
Map 3	Decider	48%
Series after veto (BO3)		48.9%
Overall record 55%, then BO3		57.5%

How it is worked out

Win maps 1 and 2, or win one of them and the decider: p₁p₂ + p₁(1 − p₂)p₃ + (1 − p₁)p₂p₃ = 48.9%.

What it means: the overall record gives 57.5%, which overrates Team A by 8.5 points. Price the three maps this matchup will actually play.

Example map chances, not measured. The formula is exact for a BO3 with a fixed map order.

Round markets Example odds

Pistol rounds and round totals

Markets inside one map. Example odds; the margin per market is computed.

Pistol round, map 1

Round 1 is played with pistols only, so the stronger team's edge shrinks.

Outcome	Odds	Probability
Vitality	1.80	55.6%
Falcons	1.90	52.6%
Sum		108.2%
Margin		7.6%

So what: close to a coin flip with a higher margin than match winner.

Total rounds over/under 21.5

Over needs 22 rounds or more: 13–9, 13–10, 13–11 or any overtime.

Outcome	Odds	Probability
Over 21.5	1.85	54.1%
Under 21.5	1.87	53.5%
Sum		107.5%
Margin		7.0%

So what: two evenly matched teams push this toward over.

Overtime on map 1

Pays if the map reaches 12–12.

Outcome	Odds	Probability
Yes	6.50	15.4%
No	1.08	92.6%
Sum		108.0%
Margin		7.4%

So what: a long price; check how often both teams' maps reach 12–12.

Example odds, not live. MR12 rules: Liquipedia, Counter-Strike 2.

Odds comparison Example odds

Same CS2 match, five prices

Example odds for Vitality vs Falcons. The best price per team is marked; margin runs from green (lowest) to red (highest).

CS2 · example match Example odds · not live

Vitality BO3 Match winner Falcons

Bookmaker	Vitality	Falcons	Margin	Payout
Casinova	1.65	2.20	5.7%	94.3%
CampoBet	1.68	2.18	5.1%	94.9%
1win	1.60	2.25	6.5%	93.5%
Casino-X	1.70	2.15	5.1%	94.9%
22BET	1.66	2.24	4.7%	95.3%
Best odds per outcome	1.70	2.25	3.2%	96.8%

Example odds, not live.

How to read the table

The margin is what the odds add up to above 100%. On this example it ranges from 4.7% to 6.5%.

What it means: the gap between the cheapest and the dearest book is $18 per $1,000 staked.

Tier-1 tournaments

The CS2 events bookmakers cover most

Linked to our tournament pages. Dates and results only where a source confirms them.

CS2 Major Next PGL CS:GO Major PGL Major Singapore: 25 Nov – 13 Dec 2026 · 32 teams · $1,250,000 Major betting → IEM 2026 Intel Extreme Masters IEM Cologne Major 2026: Falcons beat FURIA 3–0 IEM betting → BLAST Series BLAST Premier BLAST betting → ESL Series ESL Gaming ESL betting →

Singapore: PGL via esports.net. Cologne: ESL FACEIT Group, players.com.ua.

Updated October 2026 Live

Best betting sites for CS2

Bookmakers ranked for CS2 on this site. Offers are live; margins come from the example odds above.

Welcome offer 120 USD Current offer

Odds margin –

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